In the 111th minute of the match at Miami stadium in the US, Lionel Messi delivered a corner kick from the left wing into Cape Verde's penalty area. Cristian Romero's header deflected off Diney Borges' hand and into the right corner, securing Argentina's 3-2 win.

Cape Verde player Diney Borges (3) scored an own goal in the 111th minute during Cape Verde's 2-3 loss to Argentina in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at Miami stadium, US on 3/7. Photo: AP

Many initially believed Messi had achieved his 9th World Cup assist, surpassing Diego Maradona's record. Social media platforms quickly filled with praise and congratulations for the forward born in 1987. However, FIFA's official website and statistical agencies ruled Diney Borges' deflection an own goal. This decision nullified Messi's assist and the potential record, also denying Romero a goal.

Slow-motion video analysis indicated the ball would likely have gone wide of the right post if it had not touched the Cape Verde player. This aligns with the traditional definition of an own goal, which is recorded when an attacking player's shot, initially off target, enters the net due to an intentional or unintentional intervention by a defending player.

The initial determination of a goal falls to the match's head referee. In major tournaments like the World Cup, a dedicated goal review panel examines controversial goals to ensure statistical accuracy.

Should they disagree with FIFA's ruling, the Football Federation and the Argentina national team retain the right to appeal the decision. A precedent was set at the 2002 World Cup when Brazil's opening goal against Costa Rica in the group stage was initially deemed an own goal by Luis Marin. However, 24 hours later, the FIFA Appeals Committee officially credited the goal to Ronaldo Nazario.

The 2026 World Cup has also set a new record for own goals, with 14 so far, surpassing the previous record of 12 from the 2018 tournament. Notably, Mohamed Hany of Egypt has scored two own goals in this competition, most recently in their 1-1 draw against Australia, which they later won 4-2 on penalties in the round of 16. Hany is only the second player in World Cup history to score two own goals in a single tournament, a feat previously achieved by Ivan Vutsov of Bulgaria in 1966.

Despite missing out on the assist record, Messi celebrated Argentina's advancement. His opening goal against Cape Verde also helped him establish several new World Cup milestones, such as: playing the most matches (30), scoring the most goals (20), achieving the longest consecutive scoring streak (8), and contributing to the most goals in the knockout stages (12).

The Argentine superstar has the opportunity to further update these statistics when Argentina faces Egypt in the round of 8.

Trung Thu